Congratulations to the Longitude Explorer Prize 2017 finalists!

From a bottle which monitors water intake to a wearable device helping to communicate emotions, the finalists of the second Longitude Explorer Prize have been announced!

The second round of the prize launched in January 2017 and called for secondary school pupils aged 11-16 to develop innovative, practical solutions using the Internet of Things to help improve the health and wellbeing of people in the UK. Areas of particular interest included childhood obesity, physical activity, mental health and pollution, but ideas could relate to any other health issues.

Over 60 ideas from more than 220 young people were submitted for a chance to win £10,000. We’re so glad that this difficult and complex topic was well received by students and their schools. An anonymous survey showed that half of entrants had never heard of the Internet of Things before entering the prize so we’re glad to have introduced them to the concept and to have inspired them to think about how it could be used to solve health issues. We’re pleased to report that 40 per cent of entrants were female students.

All entries were assessed against the judging criteria to determine which ones had the most potential and should be shortlisted to the final stage of the prize. The standard of all the ideas was exceptionally high, which made the process of selecting the finalists very difficult.

Final stage

Over 40 young people across 10 teams will be now supported by IBM to turn their idea into reality. How? Each team will be allocated a mentor who will offer advice in technical and business areas. All students will also have access to IBM’s BlueMix and Watson, which will enable them to use cutting edge cognitive computing tools and intelligent platforms that are able to think, understand and learn.

At the end of June 2017 all teams will be required to submit workbooks outlining further development of their products, including details on their market research or marketing plan. We’re looking forward to seeing what those young, talented entrepreneurs come up with!

We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Longitude Explorer finalists and wish every future success for those who were not shortlisted on this occasion.

Longitude Explorer finalists

School: Southlands School - CambianTeam: OctoptixTheir idea: An ASDE motion badge for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The badge changes colour depending on the emotions of its wearer, making communicating emotions easier, especially for those with autism.

School: Warwick School, WarwickTeam: We FidgetTheir idea: A stress ball that allows users to fidget with it. Using pressure sensors, collected data can be transferred via Bluetooth to your phone or a computer to analyse when most stressful moments happened. This will enable users to analyse what situations cause stress and how to prevent or manage it.

School: Ursuline Academy, IlfordTeam: Bright DayTheir idea: A wearable device that alerts people when someone is having a panic attack. When the notification has been sent methods of calming down display on the screen such as breathing exercises, similarly on the receiver watch or phone, methods of helping the person are displayed.

School: Churston Ferrers Grammar School, DevonTeam: Team SpaghettiTheir idea: The Home Sensor - sensors around the homes of older people to track their daily routine. If someone is acting out of the ordinary a chosen person can be informed. The product aims to support people with dementia.

School: Harris Academy Bermondsey, LondonTeam: H’n’BTheir idea: Honest - a water bottle that monitors water intake and will remind you if you need to drink more.

School: Littleover Community School, DerbyTeam: ShellyTheir idea: Shelly’s Planner - an app for young people and their families with recipes and exercises that can be done during cooking.

School: Ursuline Academy, IlfordTeam: PolluTechTheir idea: SeeO2 - a device connected to your phone that measures air quality. If it's poor, it will suggest an alternative healthier/cleaner route for you. It also encourages physical activity.

School: Bodmin College, CornwallTeam: G.L.A.T.Their idea: Panic Attack Wrist Band - a band or a t-shirt that measures your body temperature and heart rate to detect panic attacks. It will then connect to devices at home to calm the wearer down eg. the stereo will begin playing soothing music.

School: Thomas Deacon Academy, PeterboroughTeam: AuxiCrasTheir idea: Panic+ - a button carried by students with a mental disorder. When clicked it sends a direct signal to a teacher’s wristband, telling them that you have to get out of the lesson or have a problem, giving them notice discreetly and allowing them to help you.

What happens next?

The prize offers a first place award of £10,000 and two runner-up prizes of £1,000, all to be received by the schools which the teams attend. All finalists will be invited to attend the Longitude Explorer awards ceremony in July 2017 to showcase their project prototypes, with the winner being selected from those who publicly present.

Stay up to date

Get our weekly newsletter and tailor your updates on our programmes, events and research

Stay up to date

Join our mailing list to receive updates about Nesta’s work, including the regular Nesta newsletter and tailored information on jobs, funding opportunities, programme updates, new research and publications, event invites and the occasional requests to take part in research or surveys - based on your interests.

Sign up for our newsletter

I'm interested in
*

Education

Creative economy

Government innovation

Innovation policy

Health

Futurescoping

Challenge prizes

Impact investment

You can unsubscribe by clicking the link in our emails where indicated, or emailing [email protected]. Or you can update your contact preferences. We promise to keep your details safe and secure. We won’t share your details outside of Nesta without your permission. Find out more about how we use personal information in our Privacy Policy.

About Nesta

Nesta is an innovation foundation. For us, innovation means turning bold ideas into reality and changing
lives for the better. We use our expertise, skills and funding in areas where there are big challenges facing society.